


The Fantasy Gachapon

by bluemoodblue



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Character Study, Compilation, Multi, Slice of Life, content warnings will be placed at the beginning of each chapter, please keep an eye out for those!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-07-14 22:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 9,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16049957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemoodblue/pseuds/bluemoodblue
Summary: A collection of smaller fics and character studies from tumblrCome and try your luck at the fantasy gachapon!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it would be nice to have a consistent place for smaller things originally published on tumblr so that they'd be easier to find! Some of these are ficlets, ask answers, headcanons, or requests and they've all been published previously on tumblr. Hope you enjoy!

Taako thinks it would be easier if he could just hate her.

The anger that he felt in those first moments was simple, straightforward. There was him, and her, and what she did to him; that was all. They were standing on opposite sides of a chasm, where she couldn’t reach him.

But it was Lucretia, and Taako couldn’t hate Lucretia.

Not Lucretia, who would watch him cook in early hours of the morning while she scribbled about something in her notebook, when neither of them could sleep just after they watched the Hunger consume their world. Not Lucretia, whose deadpan humor always perfectly complemented Taako and Lup’s antics. Not Lucretia, who confided in him once that she couldn’t stand being alone, either.

He couldn’t hate her. And he couldn’t look at her anymore without hurting.

There was a time when family meant something different to Taako. "Family” was a never-ending line of relatives, with different levels of enthusiasm, letting Taako and Lup into their homes for a little while before shuffling them off to the next person. It was awkward introductions, not unpacking their bags, trying not to be “too much” even though they always were and they never knew why. It was strangers Lup and Taako were obligated to love and obey, even when Lup and Taako knew they weren’t loved or listened to.

And then certain “family” decided that Taako and Lup could stay - but only Taako or Lup - and “family” was redefined to the two of them, together. No one was worth staying with at the expense of losing each other.

Lucretia is both things at once; she is part of his family and part of the “family” that would have kept Taako and Lup apart (kept all of his family apart from him, for years). He can’t keep her close and he can’t let her go. There are two irreconcilable places in Taako’s life that Lucretia now occupies, and he doesn’t know what to do about that.

The others, his sister, sometimes try to cajole him into forgiveness and remind him that Lucretia did what she did for the right reasons, sometimes hope aloud that he won’t cause a scene if they’re in the same room. Taako doesn’t know how to explain to them that he misses her, even when she’s standing within arm’s reach. He doesn’t know how to tell them that he still wants to tell Lucretia about something hilarious he saw, or scheme with her to sneak crickets in Lup and Barry’s coffee grounds, or bug her to pay attention to him while she’s writing and acting like she has much more important things to do even though he can see her starting to smile. He wants that, and it aches, because he doesn’t know how to have that anymore with her. He doesn’t know how to trust her. It’s like something died and is gone, except it’s still standing right in front of him and just out of reach.

Taako still loves Lucretia, and that hurts more than anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that Angus still does detective work after Story and Song. It seems like something he was really proud of, so I don’t think he’d give it up completely. Of course, he has so much else going on in his life now that he’s probably more selective with his cases - ones that need to be solved quickly, interesting ones, ones that have everyone else stumped, that kind of thing. And it’s usually not murder cases anymore, so it’s a much safer line of work.

Angus has an enviable list of consultants.

“Good morning, Taako! I had a question about a seasoning that I haven’t heard of before, but I thought you might be familiar with it? It’s called - what? It’s not... it’s not that early in the morning, it’s almost noon! ...I’m sorry I woke you.”

“Thank you for calling me back, Magnus! I actually had a question about woodworking, specifically... oh? Yes, I remember the new puppies. Wait, really? You mean it? Thank you so much! I, I can’t keep a dog on campus, would it be okay if it stays with you?”

“Mavis, could you ask your dad if Pan worshippers are required to keep a garden? And if a garden of exclusively poisonous plants is acceptable? Oh, no, I have his number it’s just that he’s not answering again...”

“Good evening, Madame Lucretia! I, I was wondering, the view from the moon base lets you see the layout of Neverwinter pretty clearly, right? So, if a street wasn’t marked on any official maps, you’d still be able to see it from there, right? ...yes ma’am, school is going very well. It’s not a dangerous case, I promise, and I’m being very careful.”

“Lup? I’m glad I caught you! I had a question, if you don’t mind, about explosives? Do you know how much magic power it would take to level a building, say, three stories high? ...Lup? No, no you don’t have to test it! Please don’t actually blow up a building! That would be very bad!”

“Barry, I’m sorry I know this is very sudden but can you please stop Lup from doing whatever it is she’s about to do because I think it might involve blowing up a building and now she won’t answer her stone?”

“Kravitz? I know this is a strange question, but how can you tell a real skeleton from a fake one? ...um, thank you for that, but I don’t really want to get that close. It has a sword. And I guess I should have mentioned this first, but it’s actually swinging that sword at me right now? I... would appreciate some help, yes, thank you.”

The actual helpfulness of these consultants is sometimes questionable.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Griffin said that Kravitz made a deal with the Raven Queen on Lup and Barry’s behalf. I’m sure Kravitz had to do a lot of negotiation to get that deal.

They’re in the Raven Queen’s office; it’s less grand than the room where she usually holds meetings, but there’s no need for ceremony with someone who’s worked for her as long as Kravitz has. He’s asked for this meeting, and he seems nervous. The Raven Queen is not surprised - Kravitz frequently seems nervous. She has no idea why, she’s made no secret that she’s very fond of him. She offers him a cookie. He politely declines.

“My queen, I wanted to speak to you about the fates of some, um, new acquaintances of mine. They have... broken some rules.”

Of course they’ve broken some rules. Kravitz seems very fond of people who have broken rules of late. The Raven Queen has tried to talk him into bringing by his new beau several times, but he always seems to think she’s joking. She’s not. She wants to make sure this elf is up to the standards she has for her favorite.

“And they’re looking for pardon now, I suppose? Who are these acquaintances?”

“Um, Lup and Barry Bluejeans.”

The Raven Queen paused.  Trust Kravitz to make her job easier entirely by accident. “Lup and Barry. Liches, both of them, correct? One was... trapped in an umbrella, I understand.”

“That... yes.”

Everything was a bit of a mess after the apocalypse, but a few of her emissaries reported a story circulating. That story involved a very unique umbrella. The Raven Queen doubted the fact that she’d heard about it already was a coincidence; this had Istus’s intervention written all over it. “And this umbrella vored a lich named Edward to his overdue death.” It was Kravitz. He’d seen her drunk before, she could let the queenly facade drop a little. “Barry, meanwhile, consumed manufactured despair to weaken both siblings. Fucking gross.” Now  _ there _ was a man who needed a cookie.

“Um.”

“The Wonderland Twins, Kravitz,” she explained, handing him the file with their bounty from her desk.  He opened the folder and his eyes widened. “Possibly the biggest bounty in our records with the exception of your new friends and boyfriend. I fucking hate those liches. Their fucking games, that damned wheel, and poor Keats has been waiting at the door for them for  _ generations _ . Assholes.”

The Raven Queen picked up another file from her desk and tore it in half. The paperwork inside indicated two pardons, and there was another copy filed in the proper location, but she liked the dramatic effect. Dramatic effects were one of the few perks of being a goddess. Kravitz didn’t react; he was becoming too used to the drama.

“Let Lup and Barry know I would like to meet with them as soon as possible.”

“My queen?”

“We need to discuss the terms of their employment.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m on the same page as everyone else with the “wouldn’t get rid of the Arms Outstretched scene for the whole world” because honestly, it was just... so good. It continues to be a huge, defining moment of the series, and I love the imagery of the three of them hanging onto each other in the face of incredible odds.
> 
> At the same time, though, I just keep imagining Magnus and Kravitz together in the Astral Plane. And Magnus is just regaining lost memories the entire time, getting distracted every two minutes because “I can’t believe I forgot about the Power Bear, the Power Bear was awesome!”

Kravitz just sighs and takes out another enemy. He’s not even going to ask. He asked about the judges and he almost got stabbed in the back because Magnus wouldn’t  _ stop talking  _ and cover him. Plus the idea of enormous judge-creatures looming overhead was frankly terrifying and Kravitz doesn’t need more terrifying things to think about.

Kravitz doesn’t listen to much more of what Magnus says until he overhears Taako’s name. Magnus is muttering about someone named Lup. “Did they ever find her? Fuck, I don’t think they ever found her. Taako’s gonna be so pissed.”

“Lup?”

“Taako’s twin sister.”

And, well,  _ okay _ . That sounds like the kind of thing that would’ve come up by now, they’d been on a few dates and Kravitz was pretty sure he could already see their relationship being something  _ permanent _ \--

“He doesn’t remember her.” A pause. “He’s gonna be  _ so pissed _ .” Kravitz has to agree with that assessment.

Magnus suddenly stops talking at one point, and the attack has slowed a little, so Kravitz takes notice. Magnus is frowning, but before Kravitz can ask, Magnus is looking at him. “I know why our death counts were so high.” Kravitz waits for him to elaborate; Magnus explains, and it’s horrifying. It’s the apocalypse, it’s a different kind of death than the one that Kravitz knows, and it’s already here. And something else occurs to Kravitz.

“Taako’s out there.”

Magnus agrees. “ _ Everyone’s _ out there.”

(Which might be the same thing, but now isn’t the time to think about that.)

Kravitz takes a deep breath and spins the scythe back in position for attack. Magnus echoes the movement with his lance. “Guess we’d better get back out there too, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot how short some of these were...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anonymous asked:
> 
> Imagine the starblaster crew filming an infomercial for the general public before they begin their mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Davenport would absolutely want this to be a professional production. He has organized the filming crew, the editing, everything. He wants a classy representation of the IPRE. Everything immediately goes to shit.

At first they attempt individual interviews.

Magnus won’t stop flexing. Worse, he tries to predict which camera angle is being used and flexes specifically in that direction. He’s only right about half the time. There’s a lot of discussion about muscles when he’s asked questions about the ship’s safety measures.

Lucretia has just discovered that she’s not a huge fan of cameras. She’s shy, but the shyness is not manifesting as bashfulness and difficulty making eye-contact. Instead Lucretia is frozen motionless and staring straight ahead with laser focus. It’s a look that will serve her well as Madam Director, or the many, many times one of the crew tries to prank her. Her answers are abrupt and the interviewer is nervous in the same way they were when they had to wait outside of the principal’s office in grade school.

Merle won’t stop talking. He won’t stop talking and every single thing he’s saying is either about Pan or is  _ excruciating _ . He is the embodiment of both that relative that shows up at every family gathering and makes things embarrassing for everyone and the preacher who has two hours of sermon to deliver at mass and is going to say everything he means to say. Sometimes he is both in the same sentence and everything is terrible.

They try to film the twins at the same time. They try to film the twins in different rooms. It doesn’t matter because no matter what they try, both Taako and Lup end up in the shot anyway - in one notable instance, because Lup is in the background setting fire to part of the set (a demonstration of her abilities) while Taako lists such qualifications as “being badass” and the IPRE’s inability to “keep them off of the ship anyway” for their inclusion in the program as the fire alarms begin to blare in the distance.

Barry does his best. Barry does his absolute best to give a good interview and answer the questions professionally, and Davenport is so thankful for that. It’s going pretty well until Lup yells from off camera about his current level of nerd (a solid 10 out of 10) and Barry glances at her and… doesn’t stop. He’s turning red and he’s stalled out completely. Even when he stops staring his focus is gone. Barry has left the building.

They try to interview the whole group at once.

Magnus flexes Lucretia right out of her chair, Merle tries to grab Lucretia before she hits the floor and elbows Taako, who’s shoved into Lup, who attempts to retaliate by tossing a fireball at him and misses, barely missing Barry, but not at all missing one of the cameras. Davenport hasn’t even gotten into the shot yet.

It is a very long day, and an expensive day for the IPRE. Davenport doesn’t have much more time to release a public statement, but it’s okay. He’ll just organize a press conference. A press conference is bound to be better than that… mess.

(The press conference is marginally better. There’s no property damage this time, at least.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anonymous asked:
> 
> How do you think the IPRE settled in together when stuck in the Starblaster? Like before and/or after they get along?

The Starblaster was not designed with a hundred years in mind. The trip was only supposed to be two months, which is the only reason any of them could come up with for why there is  _ only one bathroom on the entire ship _ . And no one can get Merle out of the bathroom once he’s locked himself in there. He’ll insist that it’s time that he pampered himself and turn the room into a personal spa for  _ hours _ . All pleading, yelling, and threats are met with only delighted laughter and the slight hint of lavender.

The first time Taako and Lup have a fight - a real fight, with screaming and wrestling and things catching on fire - the rest of the crew can see their lives flashing before their eyes. It’s terrifying, and everyone is afraid to leave the bedroom they’ve holed up in. Davenport is frantic; they’d insisted on being chosen together or not at all, he thought they  _ liked each other _ , what is he going to do if they  _ kill each other every cycle _ …  The crew ventures out a few hours later to find the twins in the kitchen, sharing an entire plate of chocolate chip cookies. Taako asks them where they’ve been, and Davenport locks himself in the cockpit for a few hours.

Lucretia is not the best at interacting at first. She can, and she does, but she’d rather be writing and so she almost always is. And she writes everything - including entire conversations between other crew members, word for word. A rule has to be established that Lucretia’s notebooks are not to be stolen for any form of blackmail or sabotage because they keep disappearing only to show back up in the middle of an argument. Lucretia makes the effort to keep slightly less accurate notes. (She only sometimes resorts to blackmail herself.)

It soon becomes apparent that Lup and Barry are research enablers, meaning that neither one will be the voice of reason when it is three in the morning and the research would be better served by the researchers getting some sleep. They once manage to keep each other going for three days straight on nothing but coffee, and Taako has had enough. He drags them both to his room, tosses them on the bed, and lays on top of them to trap them. He has done this to Lup many times; it’s an adjustment for Barry. It happens often enough that Barry gets used to it.

Nobody can agree on music. There’s an entire month where wildly different musical genres are played over the intercom at high volume in a passive-aggressive standoff. Everyone knows that the classical and opera music is Davenport. To everyone’s shock, Barry is responsible for the metal contributions. No one is sure who keeps playing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” - everyone thought it was Lup until she suddenly turned and blasted the nearest intercom speaker to pieces when they were entering hour two. Davenport knows that the feud is over when someone mutters a line from a song from his favorite opera, and they all join in; the performance becomes increasingly enthusiastic and dramatic, and the crew butchers the song mercilessly.

There are bad days where the worst happens, again and again, and while those never get easier, the crew falls into a routine for those too. Everyone takes comfort in different things; Magnus likes physical contact and will cuddle with anyone who’s willing. Davenport stays alone for a while, until he has the composure to face his crew again. Barry doesn’t like to break down in front of the others but he does break down; eventually, Lup and Taako are allowed to see those moments. Merle does his best to remain positive, even goofy, in the hopes that it’ll raise a laugh out of the others; Lucretia eventually convinces him to talk to her honestly, and it helps. It always helps Lucretia to talk to Merle, to try and sort out what she’s feeling. Taako has to be reminded to eat, and to leave his room. Lup is angry, powered by rage until she wears herself out and then she’s quiet; it helps to have someone close by, and Magnus is always willing to sit extra close.

Eventually, they all have the same favorite day. The first day of the new year - no matter what the last year was like, the first day of the new year is always good. Everyone is home again, and whoever was missing is brought inside and put in the middle of the big couch in the living area, immediately squished between everyone else who can physically fit. All of the furniture is pushed together because no one wants to be any farther away than they have to and usually Lucretia (but sometimes someone else) brings out all of the journals from the past year. And they recount everything - good things, bad things, inside jokes and injuries - so whoever was missing doesn’t miss anything. Eventually Davenport has to go back to the cockpit to navigate whatever new world they’ve ended up in, but just for a moment what’s happening inside the Starblaster is much more important than what’s happening outside of it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anonymous asked:
> 
> Music prompts: there's so much energy in us by cloud cult or daydreamer by young the giant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That first one is just… it’s the theme song for Stolen Century, hands-down. I’ll quote the piece I’m pulling from but just know this whole song is Stolen Century.
> 
> We feel our hearts break as the engines fade. / Still need to find it. Still need to find it. / So we took the written words of our philosophers, / And built a fire from it. Let’s get those engines lit. / We took the church’s veil and built a mighty sail. / To carry forth this ship. But we’re still losing it. / And I heard the captain say, I heard the captain say, / “We’ re so close to it, so very close to it. / We still have energy in us.”
> 
> We can’t do this forever.

Davenport was in the living area when he had the thought. Most of the crew was there, a plate of decimated cookies that someone was going to have to pick up eventually sitting on the coffee table. “Most” included Merle for once, not a shadowy figure that everyone tried not to look at, not destined to die for the sake of information. He was around more, after the argument with John. Barry was researching something in his room, Davenport was almost certain, from the way Lup had bargained with a closed door earlier. Cookies had been promised, and now they were gone.

It wasn’t even a bad day, and there were plenty of those. Days when they needed to be farther away from each other, where tensions were suddenly high for no reason that anyone could pin down. Days when the twins fought, Merle didn’t make jokes, Lucretia or Barry raised their voices… days when they lost each other. Davenport had seen what every single person in this family looked like when they mourned. Today was not even close to that, but as he looked at the people in the room a coil of dread slid from his heart to the bottom of his stomach, and he was suddenly, horribly convinced that it was a matter of time, they were hurtling towards the end of something and that end was probably their own.

Davenport slowly sat down on one of the armchairs, and Merle gave him that look that told him that his thoughts were plastered across his face. Davenport sighed. “We can’t do this forever,” he said - softly enough that the others wouldn’t overhear. Merle didn’t say anything. “We can’t keep doing this in an infinite loop, eventually something is going to  _ give _ , something is going to  _ break _ …” Eventually, as inevitable as the apocalypse in Davenport’s mind, he was going to have to learn how to live without these people. He didn’t know if he could do that anymore, and the prospect of losing either his independence or his family was equally terrifying.

Merle shrugged. “Could be. No one can ever say for sure what’s going to happen next.” And that nonchalance was so out of line from everything that Merle ever said, every complaint he had about John’s general attitude, that Davenport could only stare. “No one can make any of us any promises, is what I’m saying. But you have to ask yourself, does it really matter where this ends up?”

Maybe this was how they would finally fall apart, Davenport considered, indifference in the face of this endless chase. He never would have thought Merle would be the first to stop caring. But Merle didn’t look weary and travel-worn; he looked contemplative.

When Merle broke the silence, it was with another question. “You hear that?”

Davenport listened. The first thing he heard was Lup poking fun at Magnus, who was almost passed out for the pleasant reason of having eaten far too many cookies. He let that sound fade into the background as he picked up something else that was usually just white noise to him by now. The bonds engine, humming away at all hours of the day and night.

“I remember when this started, you couldn’t hear that thing unless it was whining because it was straining too hard during a chase. And now, if you pay attention, you can hear it all the time.” The hum was drowned out by a playful argument that had broken out near the couch; Barry had finally reemerged from his room, notes in hand, to discover there were no cookies left for him. With an air of mock-seriousness, he announced that he was going to have to fight Magnus now to restore his honor after the theft of his cookies. Lucretia pointed out that she’d watched Taako make that batch, it wasn’t even Lup’s. Barry insisted that it didn’t matter, and poked a groaning, sleepy Magnus repeatedly. 

Then again, maybe it wasn’t accurate to say that the humming was drowned out. It was still there, under the surface and unnoticeable just because it was always there, just because it matched the pitch of the crew’s voices perfectly. 

“There’s a lot of love in his ship. Is that enough, to stop what’s happening, save the world and all that crap?  _ Eh _ ,” Merle shrugged, waving the thought off like it wasn’t important. “The better question is, if it all ends tomorrow, was it worth it to have this?”

Before Davenport could answer, his face was hit by a projectile pillow. It was thrown by Lup, who was already walking over and then dragging both of them to their feet. “Come on Cap’nport, Merle, we need all hands in the kitchen for emergency cookie resupply. If you want Magnus to live, Barry must be appeased.” Barry was still poking Magnus directly in the face. Magnus was groaning, but not doing much to stop the assault. “You too, Maggie!”

“But  _ Luuup _ …”

“ _ You did the crime, now you gotta do the time! _ ” Satisfied that the two of them were complying with orders, Lup left them where they were and loped across the room, starting to push Magnus from his chair. Taako soon joined her.

“You said I could have as many as I wanted!”

“I would  _ never _ say that, because that would mean  _ all of them _ .” Lucretia joined the effort, and pretty soon Magnus was out of the chair and onto the floor. Taako, clearly unwilling to but forth any more physical effort, levitated him and dragged him into the kitchen. Merle and Davenport followed the crowd of noise and chaos that made up their family.

Was everything else worth it, to have this?

Maybe the situation wasn’t as simple as that, maybe there were too many factors to reduce everything to a yes or no question, but… Davenport couldn’t imagine life without these people - for better or for worse - so he guessed the answer must be yes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anonymous asked:
> 
> praying by kesha for the song prompts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you’re somewhere, praying, praying / I hope your soul is changing, changing / I hope you find your peace / Falling on your knees, praying

Mavis was quiet. It took Merle a little while to notice; Mavis was often quiet when she didn’t have anything in particular to say, and it didn’t always mean that something was wrong. That one had taken more than a few instances of irritating her over nothing to finally understand. But Merle knew his daughter better now, and the expression on her face hinted at discontent.

She might bring it up, if it was bothering her enough, but that would probably take a day or two more than she needed to worry about whatever it was. Merle waited until after dinner, Mookie safely out of trouble and within eyesight playing with a toy model of the Starblaster, and sat next to her on the couch. “You look like you’re thinking about something important.”

She’d been watching Mookie play with a frown on her face. Mavis shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s all  _ that _ important.”

“If you’re thinking that hard about it, it probably is. And if it’s important to you, it’s important to me.”

Mavis thought about it a little longer, and took a deep breath. “Do you remember last night, when Mookie asked you to tell us the story about your adventures again? And you told us about when you talked to the Hunger?”

“You mean John?” As soon as he said the name, Mavis’s frown grew more pronounced. “I remember. What about it?”

“Why do you talk about him like you  _ like _ him?” Mavis wasn’t looking at him. “He  _ killed _ you, but you didn’t… get angry at him when you saw him again. Why?”

Merle reached out, put an arm around her, and pulled her next to him. Mavis went willingly, throwing her arms around him and scooting in close. “You know, when I met him first, I was expecting some kind of a monster. We were being chased by this enormous thing, so whatever was in the middle of it must be enormous too, right? And then it was just a man. A man with a lot of bad ideas. If he was just a man, then I thought - hey, maybe I can talk to this guy. Some people just need to talk.”

“And then he killed you.” Mavis’s voice was muffled. She hadn’t let go of him yet, which was telling; Mavis didn’t allow herself to cling and be comforted very often. Merle rubbed her back.

“Yeah, then he killed me. Talking isn’t always enough, baby.”

“So why don’t you hate him?”

Merle thought about it for a moment; he hadn’t really taken the time to before. “I really thought he could be better, when I met him. I hoped he could. Then the last time we met, I saw a man who’d made a mistake and wanted to fix it. And he couldn’t fix all of it, but he did his best. It means something when someone tries to fix what they’ve done wrong. I like to think so, at least.”

They were both quiet for a while. The sounds of Mookie playing filled the silence. Mavis shifted a little, and when Merle looked over she was looking at him with a serious expression. She was still clinging to him. “It means something. It means a lot.”

Merle chuckled. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Her grip loosened, but she stayed close.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Necromancers are extra as fuck. Taako knows from experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to play with horror story tropes, that's my only excuse.

The thing about necromancers is, they never know when to give up and they never quite understand that not being a reaper yet does not actually put Taako at a disadvantage against them. 

And of course, every last one of them is extra as fuck. 

Angus decides to opt out of the Extreme Teen Adventures one summer because the group got hopelessly lost last time and he thinks summer camp will be a more relaxing alternative. After weeks of wheedling, bargaining, and annoying persistence, Taako comes with him as a camp counselor (with the understanding that Taako will spend the entire two weeks counseling no one and enjoying the lake). They're there for two days before a man with a weird mask and a large knife shows up, part of a cult located conveniently close by, and they both decide that a nice beach vacation is a better option; if it hadn't been the murderous cultists, the horrendous food would have been the deciding factor. 

~~~ 

It's date night and Kravitz is adorably excited about taking Taako to the opera. Taako can't say he's a huge fan, but there are a lot of things he would do to see that smile on Kravitz' face - and besides, it's a double date so Lup is stuck going too. Taako and Lup keep themselves admirably entertained through the first half by reaching over two seats to bother each other. Kravitz and Barry admirably pretend not to notice. 

It's almost intermission when someone on the stage screams while the chandelier above them creaks ominously. Someone in the rafters starts laughing maniacally, Kravitz is sighing because he knows that laughter and this was supposed to be his night off, and a moment later the chandelier is falling directly on the audience. 

It's very fortunate that Taako and Lup, out of pure boredom, got into the extreme sport of hurtling boulders at each other on one of the worlds (which Davenport eventually put an end to, commenting that just because they could could give him repeated heart attacks it didn't mean they should). Taako catches the chandelier with magic and tosses it back up to where a shadowy figure is still laughing. There's a grunt, and, one excellently-timed portal later, Lup has caught both the fixture and the figure before they can hit the ground. 

~~~ 

Taako is conned into bringing Angus to a new play-and-eat place in Neverwinter for kids; it's not Angus's thing at all, or Taako's, but it's Mookie's birthday and Mookie (perhaps only Mookie) is delighted by the people wandering around in huge animal suits. Taako is not a fan, especially when he thinks he catches them following him from room to room. When everyone is distracted by Mookie blowing out the candles, one of them jumps right in Taako's face and tries to grab him. 

It gets blasted for its trouble and okay, cool, there's no person in there and that's a lot of metal and it's some kind of robot, awesome. Taako is on the phone with Lucas moments later while Merle and Magnus usher the kids into the security booth. 

"Animatronics, Lucas? You really fucking went for the giant bear? What, do you not have to pay ghosts as much to entertain the children?" 

Lucas insists it wasn't him, Taako hangs up on him, and he, Magnus, and Merle spend a lively afternoon guarding the security booth from the rest of those possessed caricatures of fuzzy animals.

There's another cult, because of-fucking-course there is. 

~~~

Taako admits the invitation was a little shady, but Kravitz, Barry, and Lup are off on some mission and he and Ren could use a week-long getaway to a wealthy benefactor's mansion. The man spent half the letter gushing about Taako's brand, and Taako is always happy to meet a fan. 

They and some other guests are having dinner on the first night when the lights suddenly go out. When they come back on, Taako is grappling with the owner of the house, who has a knife. It's not much of a struggle; the man is pretty old, has lost the element of surprise, and is two seconds away from getting a face full of gale-force winds as Ren has already risen to her feet and drawn her wand. 

There's a cult under the house. It's the easiest job his family has ever had, since the house is isolated and there's nowhere for any of them to run. 

~~~ 

Taako is strolling through Neverwinter with Angus, getting some shopping done and thinking seriously about the possibility of stopping at the new dessert place, when he thinks he hears whispering. And it's coming from... below them?  Taako's ears twitch as he turns, and it seems that Angus has caught on too, because he's staring at the side of the street, where there's a sewer drain. Where there's a clown in the sewer drain. "For fuck's sake --" It seems like the clown in the sewer has lost its patience, because suddenly it's reaching for Angus's ankle with the clear intent of dragging him in. Taako catches it with magic missile and fires a few more for good measure, and then directs a fireball through the small opening. He can hear pained groaning echoing up as he grabs Angus and drags him across the street. Taako pulls out his stone. 

"Hey babe, I found your lich. No I'm not sure it's the one you're looking for, we didn't stop for introductions and shit, all I know is that there's a crispy motherfucker in the sewer waiting for you to collect. Yes, the sewer. I didn't put him down there, Krav, the creep has this whole sneaky clown routine. Yes, a clown. I know. Make Lup get him if you don't want to. Love you too, but I swear I will lock you in the bathroom if you haven't showered at least twice by the time I get home." 

With garbage-lich collection on the way, Taako grabs Angus around the shoulders and directs them both down another street, because they absolutely deserved something ridiculously unhealthy and sweet after that nonsense.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the bonds engine needs a little extra fuel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bonds engine, which runs on bonds.

As time passes, the bonds between the IPRE increase and increases the power of the engine. Right at the beginning, though, as they're racing away from one of the early worlds, Davenport has the sinking realization that it's not enough. The engine is not running on enough power to outrun the apocalypse again, and of course it isn't, because it was designed for a leisurely two-month exploration and not a high-speed chase. They're not going to make it. And he thinks his crew must realize that, too, because they're all nervously glancing out of the windows as he narrowly evades another deadly blow. 

Damn it all, they're  _ his _ responsibility, they look to  _ him _ for guidance and he's going to get all of them killed because he couldn't do the one thing he's best at well enough. They're good people and they don't deserve this. He doesn't know why, but suddenly it's vital that they all know that they're more to him than just strangers. 

"If we don't make it out of this," he calls over his shoulder, "I want you all to know that it was an honor to travel with you." He can't turn his attention away from where they're going, but he can feel their stares on his back. And, because he's the best at what he does, he can feel the ship shudder slightly under him, gaining the smallest surge of extra energy in the engine. 

The bonds engine, which runs on bonds.  _ Fuck _ .

Davenport calls out again, this time with far less gravitas: "If any of you want to, I don't know, hug it out or something now would be a great time."

It takes a moment for them to catch on, but they're  _ his _ crew, so of course they do.

"I think you have beautiful eyes!" It's Barry, suddenly the approximate complexion of a tomato, and he's got his face in his hands seconds later so it's not even clear who he was talking to but the outburst sets the rest of them off.

"Lucretia, you have lovely handwriting even though I can't read a damn word!"

"Magnus, for the love of whatever gods are watching, you are very brave but please stop getting yourself killed?"

"Those cupcakes without the icing that you made are kickass, Taako!" (And, somewhere in the background an indignant shriek of " _ Muffins? _ Do you mean  _ muffins _ , Magnus?")

"You make the best coffee at three in the morning which is some kind of fucking  _ lost art _ , and that's the only reason you're allowed to correct my notes _ even though I was absolutely right about that last equation you erased, wasn't I? _ "

" _ That was an accident, Lup _ \- Merle I think your approach to both horticulture and religion are... uniquely inspired."

"Davenport, you are a very brave leader and I appreciate all of the difficult decisions you make."

They've almost got it. They're almost there, they might make it after all, they just need a little more power. It comes from a very unlikely source.

"That's just our luck, right?" Taako is looking out of the window, and he sees what Davenport sees, that the force chasing them is still just a little too fast. "Finally get used to having these chucklefucks around and now we're gonna get eaten. Finally find some people worth  _ keeping _ and boom, apocalypse. It's  _ fucking ridiculous _ ."

Everyone is staring again. Taako's ears twitch lower as he realizes what he's just said, aloud, at a clearly audible volume and obviously unintentionally. Magnus sniffles a little, clearly moved, and mutters "Aw,  _ dude _ ."

Lup sneaks up on Taako and hugs him from behind, holding him firmly in place as Magnus and then the others join in. Davenport is the only one who notices the moment when they outrun the Hunger one more time, just barely slipping through its grasp.

(Davenport considers organized bonding activities after that, but he watches his crew make a mess of breakfast together the next morning, and he realizes that isn't necessary.)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eternal gratitude to Reeder for “Julia” (I heard it for the first time a long time before it was in the podcast, and I’ve only grown to love it more the more I listen to it), but I like to think that the song exists in canon. This isn’t something I’ve put a lot of thought into - I was just listening to the song and I thought it would be nice if it existed for these characters, too. There are a few ways this might be true.

Maybe eventually, as Magnus spends more time with his family, he tells them more about Julia. How much she would have loved all of them - how much all of them would have loved her. All of the little things she did that made him laugh, or made him fall for her again every day. She’s never there, but somehow she’s always there because Magnus is always talking about her. He tells all of their stories so many times that his whole family knows them by heart. And one day, for Candlenights or maybe even just because, Barry tells Magnus he has something for him and sits down at the piano. It’s not long before Magnus is crying, but he doesn’t notice because his attention is elsewhere. That’s _her_. That’s Julia, there in that song. He must have done a good job introducing her to his family, because they know her so well.

~~~

Learning to play can be difficult, but the piano is an accommodating instrument for beginners. All of the keys are laid out in front of you right from the start, all cards on the table, straightforward. In a way, that matches Magnus. It’s a stumbling start, and Barry demonstrates impressive patience as Magnus tries to master the new skill. Magnus is very good about practicing, though, and while he might not ever perform on a stage, he’s always been good with his hands. It’s nice to have something new to do with them while his thoughts are elsewhere. As time passes and his skill grows, he thinks about how much Julia would have liked to listen to him play, and the idea sticks in his head. When he’s ready, he asks Barry and Lup to listen to the song, and they note it down as he plays. It’s common to hear the music of that song streaming through the window and whispered in the streets of Raven’s Roost, in some small way filling an absence that’s been there for a long time. When Magnus isn’t there to play anymore, Lup or Barry sometimes still do; the title of the song, which only had one name before, is changed to two.

~~~

Julia could play. Julia could play and fill the whole room with music and laughter and joy. Before - and especially after - the revolution, she would visit the tavern and play loud, excited music while everyone there sang along or danced. Everything, everyone, was more alive when Julia played. When it was just the two of them, during quiet afternoons at the shop when the work was done, Julia played a different kind of music - soft and sweet, another part of her that Magnus had the honor of seeing more than anyone else. Somehow even with the town gone, the sheet music in the little oak chest survives, and he takes it with him when he leaves. Years later, that same sheet music held delicately in his hands, he explains to Lup who wrote it. Magnus doesn’t even have to ask; Lup squeezes his hand, sits down with him at the piano, and goes over the basics. Until Magnus can play the song for himself, she plays it for him; he sits in a rocker that smells like lavender and if he closes his eyes, he can pretend that it’s years ago and another lifetime and Julia is just across the room.

~~~

(Whatever the truth is, one day there is a piano and a set of sheet music in a little house on a little island. The house is filled with music even when no one plays.)


	12. Chapter 12

It’s a little after Story and Song and the first birthday Angus has as part of the group, and Taako completely blanks. He hasn’t gotten Angus a present. He almost misses the party entirely. Angus thinks it’s some kind of joke at first, admittedly one of the crueler ones, when he asks Taako what day it is and Taako keeps saying some variation of “I don’t know, little man, Tuesday?” Finally Angus has to just tell him, and he waits for Taako to tell him that of course it is, or to brush it off like it’s nothing.

Taako freezes. He mutters a couple of curses under his breath that were not quite low enough to keep Angus from hearing, and Angus realizes that Taako has actually forgotten. Angus is pretty sure he told Taako at some point, he’s almost certain some of the others would have gotten Taako to help with the party, but Taako has still forgotten. And his expression must have shown his disappointment, because Taako is quick to promise an entire day out the next day, to make up for it - Angus can pick out his own present and everything. 

Taako honors his promise with minimal exasperation or over-the-top annoyance, and Angus knows that Taako is genuinely sorry (even if he doesn't say it). They do every single activity Angus wants to do, and when they get back Angus introduces his belated birthday present to the rest of the group - a tiny black kitten with a little red collar. He and Magnus are playing with the kitten in the living room while Lup and Taako cook dinner for everyone a few feet away in the kitchen. Lup keeps ribbing Taako about forgetting the birthday.

“Hey, get off my back, I made up for it!” His tone isn’t upset, but joking, like it usually is when he and Lup are “arguing.” “I forget that some people like to do the birthday thing.”

Lup doesn’t answer immediately, except for the clatter of the plate that she drops. “You fucking  _ what _ .”

It takes a minute, but Angus remembers the stories about the extravagant celebrations the twins would throw for their own birthday, usually lasting for a full week because one day shared between them was not enough. When he looks up, Angus realizes that Magnus looks shocked as well.

“Oh.” He can tell from Taako’s tone that Taako has just remembered, too.

“ _ How many _ .” Lup’s voice is angry - not “I’m angry at you Taako” angry but “I’m angry because you were alone and I hate that” angry. Lup was that kind of angry pretty often.

“All of them? Since the last one we had together, anyway.” And just like that dinner is abandoned in favor of take-out, and they’re planning another party, a big one, even though it’s nowhere near Taako and Lup’s birthday. Because there’s all the time in the world, now, and they’ll have as many birthday parties as they want - even if they’re very,  _ very _ belated.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> abraca-fxckyou asked:
> 
> Music prompt - memories by panic at the disco / maybe some blupjeans? Or wherever you wanna go w it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blupjeans is such an excellent choice for this song, how can I refuse? I tried something a little different with this one - looking at their relationship and plans through a kind of unattached third party. I hope you like it!
> 
> They were young and independent / And they thought they had it planned. / Should have known right from the start / You can’t predict the end.
> 
> Oh memories / Where’d you go? / You were all I’ve ever known / How I miss yesterday / How’d I let it fade away?

Among the handful of remains of a previous life was a worn notebook. It was placed in a box, carefully set beneath a few other items, with a cover that had started to curl up a little at the edges and pages that were a little water damaged. It had a name written on it, but the marks were worn away almost completely. It was supposed to be for calculations; that much was obvious from the first few pages, the complicated calculations looking for answers that are overwhelmingly difficult, almost impossible. There was only one person left who knew where to find the important things, and he doesn’t know it now. 

On one of the first pages was a sketch of the face of a woman. It wasn’t very large, created by a shaky hand, and it wasn’t very skilled. But there was a careful consideration in the lines, clearly the work of a whole afternoon and enough erase marks that the artist seemed unsure of his subject. The features were agonized over, and the sketch was left partially incomplete. It was drawn from memory, and not very well, but with sincere effort.

Underneath the sketch was a cartoonish drawing of a man’s face wearing glasses. “Nerd” was written out in block letters, and there was an arrow pointing at the face so there could be no doubt who the comment was about. It was drawn quickly, in low light, and left for discovery the next morning.

The pages with calculations, graphs, charts were not spared from the exchange. Correct answers, after pages and pages of incorrect attempts and frustrated, scratched lines over work, were rewarded with tiny images of smiling faces. 

Several pages in the middle were dedicated to tiny pieces of musical notation. There was no completed song in the notebook, but instead little hints of a greater whole that existed somewhere else. No part of the music was scratched out, only expanded upon in two different hands. Successful passages were noted, this time, with hearts.

In the notebook, on a particularly worn page, was the layout of a house. It took the entire page, and the walls had clearly been changed a few times. Every room had a label. There was a living room, a large kitchen, and an entire second floor that was almost completely filled with bedrooms, names written out carefully. And for pages and pages after, there were the beginnings of plans - a list of prospective jobs under one name, a list of things to do under another. The layout of a lab, the layout of a restaurant, places to visit, goals to meet, things to have. Every plan tapered off into nothing; only the house seemed to be complete.

There was another plan outlined in a series of pages filled with new types of calculations. The magic symbols and diagrams for the defiance of death were written out alongside the practical and scientific application of magic. In the corner, almost an afterthought, is a drawing of two smiling skulls with a heart over their heads. On the back of one page, written in small letters in the corner, was a list of activities to fill a day. Interspersed throughout were jokes and puns about bones.

At the back of the notebook was one last plan. There was the image of a light breaking into seven parts. The sketch did not give any hint whether or not the plan worked.

The last significant thing in the notebook was a torn-out page. It might have been a note, once; it might have been hiding somewhere at the bottom of the same box. There is someone who knew what it said, but he doesn’t know it now.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous also requested Home by AlicebanD, and this is it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it strange that this one made me think of caravan life with the twins? Because that’s what I thought of - the chaotic life of two kids on the road, around some probably not-so-great role models sometimes. Not what the song is actually about, I’m sure, but that was my first thought when I listened so I ran with it. Again not super sure on all of the lyrics but what can you do, it’s a good song and I obviously didn’t stick too close to the lyrics anyway.
> 
> And fake sounds and plastic feelings / Freckles and skin’s all peeling / Soon comes the night when I go home  
> So I will lay the table but I will not sing / I will not sing
> 
> An important note! Since I realized the tags of the fic won't reflect all chapters (and I don't want people to think every story in the collection has the content they might be trying to avoid), I'm going to note content warnings here in the author's note at the beginning. Please keep an eye out for them!
> 
> Content Warning: Reference to past child abuse

The caravan had stopped for the evening, and Lup collapsed onto the grass next to Taako, recently freed of responsibilities after lighting a few fires around the camp and setting up tents. Three weeks, and three weeks left to go. And then she wouldn’t have  _ Eddie _ , the big human guy who managed the horses, ordering her around all the time.

Taako glanced over at her from where he was stirring something in a big pot and smirked. “What was it this time?”

Lup took a deep breath and puffed up her chest from where she was laying on the ground, enacting her best impression of someone with unreasonably large muscles. “ _ Hey, squirt, you better look like lifting your own weight in supplies or it’s not worth hauling you around _ .” She growled out the words in a poor imitation of Eddie’s gruff voice. Taako giggled.

“Just throw a fireball at him next time, isn’t that how you solve all of your problems?”

“You wanna get left in the middle of nowhere? Besides,” she said, puffing up her chest again, “ _ I’m a big strong man who doesn’t understand fire or how to start them because all of my brains melted into my enormous, hulking muscles while I was working out one day and now I can’t even figure out why Mei won’t swoon for me _ .”

“Lup.” Taako’s tone was miles away from the laughter she’d expected, and she sat up. Eddie was dangerously close – he was too far away to hear what she’d said, but he could probably guess that she was mocking someone, and that the someone was most likely him. He was scowling in their direction and walking closer.

“Hi, Eddie,” Taako said when the man was looming over him.

“Evenin’ shorty, shrimp,” he answered, looking from Taako to Lup. “What’re the two of you laughin’ about over here? I wanna hear the joke.”

Taako looked over at Lup with what she could tell was false hesitance. He had a plan. “I probably shouldn’t tell a lot of people about this, it’s kind of private…”

Eddie frowned. “Out with it.”

“Well… you know how Mei and Tomlin have been spending a lot of time together lately? I think I overheard them outside of camp, and Mei was making a  _ lot _ of noise. Like, too much.”

Eddie stared at him blankly.

Taako waited for a moment, but Eddie was making no progress. Lup smothered a laugh. “Because… she was faking it, maybe, because Tomlin was doing a  _ bad job _ .”

Eddie got it that time, thankfully, if his grin was any indication. Lup saw Taako let out a small sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to have to spell out what two adults might be up to alone together outside of camp to a grown man. “Oh yeah? Well, what do you know.” He chuckled.

Taako made a face of obvious (fake) concern. “But you can’t tell anyone, okay? They might get embarrassed.”

“Oh don’t worry, kid, I won’t tell a  _ soul _ .” He ruffled Taako’s hair before walking off, and Taako flinched and stuck out a tongue behind his back.

As soon as Eddie was out of range, Lup and Taako were grinning wickedly at each other. “You  _ liar _ ,” Lup said, clearly delighted.

“Aw but Lup, look at how  _ happy _ I made him!” The two of them watched Eddie swagger over to Mei, who heard him out for about two seconds before slapping him across the face. Taako and Lup dissolved into giggles.

After a few minutes, Taako went back to his stirring. He made a face that had his freckles scrunching up into new configurations. “Don’t eat the potatoes.”

“Why not?”

“They’re not  _ good _ .”

Lup scrunched up her nose in an exact mirror of her brother’s expression. “Why are you cooking them, then?”

Taako nodded across camp. “Granny’s orders. She can’t eat anything else besides soup, and she hates soup.” There was an elderly woman seated beneath a tree all the way on the other end of camp, the grandmother of the man who was in charge of the trading caravan. Everyone in camp knew his grandmother was actually in charge.

“Beckett’s gonna eat them too, and he’s gonna get sick, and we’re gonna be stuck not moving for a  _ whole day _ .” Beckett, the man in charge, was always looking for ways to gain the favor of his grandmother, like eating her favorite foods with her. It never worked because Granny  _ hated _ Beckett. She’d called him good-for-nothing right to his face once, Lup heard the whole thing.

Taako nodded. 

“Ugh, that  _ sucks _ . That sucks  _ so much _ .” Lup lay back on the grass again. Another day in Eddie’s delightful company.  _ Fantastic _ .

Taako leaned over to look at her face from above. “Everybody else will probably eat them. I seasoned them enough that you can’t tell they’re bad at first. I figure if we slip out of camp early enough, we can have the whole day off.”

Lup grinned up at him. Taako came up with the best plans sometimes. “What do you want to do? Fishing? Magic practice?”

Taako’s grin mirrored her own. “All of it. We have all day.”

Lup wiggled a little in excitement. A whole day of just doing whatever they wanted. They were way overdue for a day to themselves, for having fun together like kids.

…like kids. Lup frowned. That wasn’t the right way to think of it – they were kids. Not as young as they used to be, but they were still kids. Was it bad, that it was easy to forget that sometimes? “You ever think this is kind of weird?”

“ _ You’re _ weird.” His grin had faded in response to her change in expression.

“I’m serious, Taako. Other people do this… this life thing differently than us.”

Taako was frowning outright. “Do you wish we’d stayed? After Auntie died?”

Sometimes the two of them got  _ looks _ , from people who wanted to ask them where their parents were or if they needed help getting home. They were the same people who would talk loudly about how a caravan was no place for children but hesitate to do anything.

Lup knew their childhood wasn’t normal, but they’d done the “house” and “family” thing already, and that hadn’t been any better. Must be nice when life just worked out like it was supposed to, like it did for other people, but Lup and Taako had to work with what they had. There was always the possibility of meeting someone dangerous on the road, but their uncle had been dangerous, too, and they’d had the guarantee of seeing him every day when they lived in his house.

It was funny how many things someone could get used to, anyway. Lup was used to the sight of her brother’s face lit by campfire and made hazy by the steam from a pot of cooking stew. She was used to soft, dewy grass in the morning and burning sun in the afternoon that gave them sunburns until their skin peeled and freckled. She was used to sleeping in a thin bedroll on a hard, wooden floor or on the ground under the stars.

Lup was used to the sound of drunken yelling and drunken singing and deflecting drunken teasing bidding her and her brother to take tankard of the nasty drink. Lup was used to people taller than her throwing their weight around to intimidate. Lup was used to unexpected allies and keeping strange friends, like the man who didn’t talk and the woman who snuck them extra leftovers after everyone had eaten. Lup was used to watching Taako’s face for any hint that he’d seen something that meant they would have to leave unexpectedly.

It would be a stretch to call these experiences “home,” but they were familiar. It was something almost like home. It was close enough, because Taako was there, and that was all she needed – if she asked, she knew he’d say the same.

And Lup never would have gotten used to the way her uncle hit, or bruises on her brother.

“Nah. We’re too weird for a normal life, anyway.” They smiled at each other, perfectly in sync.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've talked a lot about the repeated deaths, but that’s not all that can happen in this kind of situation. What kind of injuries do you think the IPRE dealt with until the year was up and they were reset?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Non-graphic reference to injuries

Magnus loses an arm. It’s an early cycle and he shouldn’t have had to make that kind of sacrifice, but he did it to help someone else and no one is really surprised. No one knows what to do - should they offer to help him with things? Would that be insulting? When Magnus comes far too close to losing his other arm in the same year, he learns to ask for help when he needs it.

Merle is too close to an explosion and loses his hearing. Lucretia offers him one of her notebooks, and it’s both a wonderful idea and a mistake because he uses it both to communicate and to leave notes all over the ship. They’re very dad-like notes, commanding various crew members to pick up this mess or go do some chore. When they try to argue Merle just shakes his head and motions helplessly at his ears, even though they are writing him a note in return. It's not long afterwards that they reach a world that has sign language and everyone learns the basics. 

Lup has been burned, badly, but it takes a while before she lets anyone help her manage the pain because she doesn’t want to  _ feel better _ when she can’t do that for Taako because he  _ died in a fucking fire _ . It’s Barry who finally catches her with her guard down late one night, and he and Merle find a combination of cooling spells and herbs that make the pain (the physical pain) more bearable.

Davenport is blinded, and for a while he won’t accept any help. He’s the captain, he’ll figure it out on his own. He tries to pilot the ship with muscle memory and crashes it somewhere remote, and he just screams in frustration at losing the one thing he’s the best at, even if it’s only for a year. He’s quiet for a while, not interacting and going through the motions as well as he can, until Magnus wanders into the cockpit and asks what the big, red button is for. Davenport explains, more of the crew wander in, and he ends telling all of them about the ins and outs of their vessel. It’s a good day, and after that (both that year and after) he spends less time in the cockpit and more time with his family.

Lucretia can't walk anymore, not easily and then not at all, so Magnus offers to give her piggyback rides everywhere she wants to go whenever she wants. Lup and Barry make her a chair (permanently levitating so that stairs aren't an issue), but she finds she likes the company while exploring the new towns. She takes up Magnus’s offer more often than anyone expects her to.

A landslide that takes Lup catches Taako, too; he takes a serious blow to the head. When he wakes up he doesn’t speak, and doesn’t really look at anyone. But he listens to them, he can hear them, and eventually Lucretia picks up some journals and sits with him. At first she reads, but eventually she just shares interesting things that happened that day and gossip; even though his expression doesn’t change she can tell he’s enjoying the conversation from the way his ears flick around with as much movement as always. When the year is done they still gossip, but it’s never one-sided. (Except when it is, years and years later. Taako has a bad day and Lucretia offers to read to him, and he lets her. It’s a little sign that things are... better. Improving.)

One year there are days Barry hurts too much to walk on his own, and Lucretia’s chair makes a second appearance. Lup isn’t there, or Magnus or Merle, so the ship is quiet more often than not... until Taako and Barry go barreling down the hallway together clinging to the chair and targeting Davenport of Lucretia. It shouldn’t be funny but it  _ is _ \- one light and fun moment during a particularly bad cycle.


End file.
